Natural hair ladies, DON'T GET DISCOURAGED if your hair does not seem to grow!

DragonPearl

DragonPearl

Well-Known Member
The shrinkage factor is very deceiving. My hair has been creeping up to brastrap, and I didn't even know it. I just lightly pressed my hair yesterday, and lo and behold, I am now almost at brastrap. And keep in mind that in that photo, my hair is not even silky straight. It's possible that my hair might even look longer if I had gotten it real straight.

http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL554/464584/1322084/89108520.jpg


If I washed my hair today and I didn't manipulate it, my hair would revert to 1 to 2 inches of length. So, natural ladies, don't get discouraged and keep taking good care of your hair!

I love my natural hair, but dang, I got to really make peace with it NOT showing length. :lol:
 
Good night Jessy!!!!! What a great shot to prove it is growing.

I always thought your hair was long anyway though. :)

I also agree with your point. Many times we get discouraged about our length or improvement in the health of our hair because we dont remember a point of reference.

That is why it is important to have a pictoral journal...even if you dont share it with anyone. You can see in pictures from month to month, where your hair is going and what it is doing. You can SEE that it is growing! It has progressed!

I LLOOOOOOOVEEEE comparison shots...they always give me hope.

Thanks for sharing that!
 
Jessy I'm with Pookey- I could look and tell you have some serious length on your head even before straightening. Congrats on all that great growth you have always been one of my biggest inspirations! :)
 
ty Jessy- you are truly an inspiration, congradulations.

and ty Pookeylou- i have now jumped on the shealoe butter bandwagon with you and i must say i am very impressed with this product. i have only been using it for a few days but it has truly eliminated my dry ends, now my hair is softer and more manageable everyday.
 
Thanks you ladies, Pookey, Divastate, CaramelDiva, Ms Portugal, for the encouragement! Just 2 weeks ago, I was thinking that my hair has not been growing at all, and I might as well stop worrying about length, and just focus more on more serious stuff. :) Like the midterm test I have coming this afternoon. :look:

Yes, Pookeylou, comparison shots are the best way to track progress. While I do it, I found it is not good to measure everymonth, cause if hair grows slowly, one would hardly see a month to month progress and one will think nothing is happening.

Divastate, I can't tell my hair is long because when I wash it, it shrinks back to 1 or 2 inches!!. I have to plait/band/twist it while it's wet, and then pin the stuff against my scalp almost like a wrap, so that it dries with some stretch. :)
 
From that pic, you hair probably is brastrap length!!! :yep: I get shrinkage too as a transitioner. Thanks for the encouragement! ;)
 
I've always been an admirer of your hair Jessy! You are so right, shrinkage really consumes the length of natural hair sometimes, I think your post is really important for newly naturals to remember. We get so caught up in comparing our own length to others sometimes we can get discouraged if our own hair grows slower than someone elses. I don't even think of my hair in terms of length anymore since I know it will never look its true length anyway. I'm at a "size" that I'm really happy with so any further growth is just gravy for me.
 
carameldiva said:
ty Jessy- you are truly an inspiration, congradulations.

and ty Pookeylou- i have now jumped on the shealoe butter bandwagon with you and i must say i am very impressed with this product. i have only been using it for a few days but it has truly eliminated my dry ends, now my hair is softer and more manageable everyday.
Click to expand...

I am soooo glad you like it!

I could not resist the temptation to doctor up the shealoe butter even more. I made a tiny tub of shealoe mixed with emu oil, roseamary hair oil, jojoba oil and lavendar oil. I will finish up the tub I made and let you know the results.
 
wow jessy your hair is gorgeous. Yeah it seems like my hair is growing at a snails pace too. I think it will take about 3 more years for my hair to reach shoulder length while its curly becasue I have soooo much shrinkage.
 
wow Jessy....you are yet another inspiration. Wow...you almost make me want to do the bc now! you just convincd me even more that once I go nap, I ain't turnin back!
 
I'm glad you posted this, although I'm not a natural my hair is texturized so I deal with the shrinkage thing too. I have three inches of NG and I still think that my hair isn't growing long enough, yet when I stretch it out it's almost at bra lenght...to tell you the truth I really don't know how long my hair is right now and aside from blow drying it once in a blue moon (before I braid) I just don't know. Your hair looks really nice I'm sure if you flat ironed it you'd see even more lenght.










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Your hair is so thick looking. Is it fine hair? This was a good post. Also they say the healthier your hair is the more elasticity the better. As the cuticals close up better even more shinkage to where it may seem no growth. Love your hair. :Rose:
 
Thanks a bunch Poohbear, JetCityGirl, Ayeshia, IwantLongerHair! :wave: I haven't been excited over my hair in a long time. :lol:

Don't want to forget Harigeek, PittGirl06, Peachtree, Alli77, and VintageCoilyLock, thanks ladies for the shout out! :wave:

Vintagecoilylocks said:
Your hair is so thick looking. Is it fine hair?
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Vintage, my hair is not thick at all. It's fine like baby hair. That's why relaxers were not good me and why I am afraid to use too much heat.
harigeek said:
Ok, what's your regimen, please ?!?!?!
Click to expand...

Come to think of it, the only thing I have been doing differently is that about 2 months ago, I started this special protective style of wearing 2 buns with the ends oiled and tucked in without undoing them at night. I'd sleep with a satin or silk bonnet. In the morning, I'd just take out the bonnet and use a pretty scarf as headband to lay my edges down. Voila! No manipulation of my hair from shampoo to shampoo. At some point, I did put braid extensions for 3 weeks, but went back to the 2 buns protective style.

Maybe that's it! Maybe leaving my hair in 2 buns has helped me retain growth. Why 2 buns instead of 1 bun? 2 buns are easier on my hair because my edges are less stressed. I am even going to experiment with 4 or 5 buns, as multiple buns might be kinder to natural nappy hair then 1 bun. I'll see if I get results by the summer and will keep you guys posted. :)

 
I deal with the shrinkage factor probably more than most, because my hair actually has a sPRING pattern to it. My strands look like little o's when they come out, and I actually get some little coils that are slightly smaller than coffee stirrers. This means that 4 inces of hair BARELY looks like an inch, and some people evn tell me things like, "oh well, you're keeping your hair short anyway, or what have you. Little do they know how much hair I have when it is stretched out, and I have since ceased to try to prove it to them. I would be amazed if I ever grew as much hair as you have. Are you using the vitamins that you speak of?
 
Jessy55 said:
The shrinkage factor is very deceiving. My hair has been creeping up to brastrap, and I didn't even know it. I just lightly pressed my hair yesterday, and lo and behold, I am now almost at brastrap. And keep in mind that in that photo, my hair is not even silky straight. It's possible that my hair might even look longer if I had gotten it real straight.

http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL554/464584/1322084/89108520.jpg


If I washed my hair today and I didn't manipulate it, my hair would revert to 1 to 2 inches of length. So, natural ladies, don't get discouraged and keep taking good care of your hair!

I love my natural hair, but dang, I got to really make peace with it NOT showing length. :lol:
Click to expand...
i can cosign on that! when i flat ironed my hair last week i was AMAZED to see it all down my back!!!! and i didnt do a hard press either....amazed, i tell you!!!! :D
 
Belladonna said:
Thanks for this thread,Jessy. I have been getting discouraged.This was right on time!
Click to expand...


Aint that the truth :ohwell: Jessy and Divastate, I can only pray my hair would resemble one of you guys lovely natural locks, one day WOW :)
 
Goodness Jessy! I'm sure your hair is already brastrap (or longer) and it looks so gorgeous and healthy! I've always admired your hair - you're an inspiration to many!!

When you stated "My hair has been creeping up to brastrap, and I didn't even know it", this is always a great surprise!
 
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YOU'D BETTER GO GIRL W/ THAT BEAUTIFUL HEAD FULL OF"NAPPY" HAIR!!!!!

WHAT AN INSPIRATION YOU ARE!! YOU MAKE ME PROUD TO BE A NATURAL.

Question . . . . . is this the 1st time you have been able to achieve the length that you currently have or was it the same in your relaxer days?
 
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Y'all better stop it! Aww! Thanks! :Rose:

Belladonna, I am glad you're not getting discouraged. Give your hair a chance!

Lavendarlover, I agree with you. Natural hair teaches me modesty and the art of being low key. When it comes to length, it does not show its true self. You got to coax it out!! :) And no, I don't take any particular hair vitamins.

Shatani, hair down your back? Shrinkage is a beyo... oops, a beauty! :lol:

Honeycomb719, Isis and Aquarian, thank you for the support!! And to answer your question Aquarian, yes this is the 1st time. I have always had short hair even as a child. Before and after I started relaxing, my hair typically was around chin length. I used to be delirious when some straggly strands would just touch, just touch my shouders when I was relaxed. I can assure you, I have no Indians in my ancestry. :lol: If I can grow hair, I am convinced anybody can. In truth, all hair grows even if slowly; you just need to figure out a way to retain the length.
 
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